Stand Up!
by Kano-sama
Summary: Mari was dead and Rima knew it very well. So all the way from France she flew back home to face her inner demons, not to see Mari's replica, cheering for the tennis team, the game that took her beloved sister away. She plans to deal with her, but first, she needs to grip a racket, again. "I don't care if you're a tensai. You're not the reason why I'm here." OC.
1. Mari

**Mari**

"Yay, we're going to eat at Kawamura's! I'll eat lots. You too, ochibi, so you'll quickly grow."

"Eiji-sempai, I believe I'm perfectly fine," the addressed boy snapped, his cap hiding in his growing annoyance.

"That's right Echizen. It's on the house so be at ease," Kawamura said gently, striding beside the boy.

"Saa, Echizen, it's so unusual to find you getting irritated. I wonder why…" came the voice that creeps him the most. And at that moment, Ryoma Echizen was quite sure that heaven and earth will collide if it won't be followed by a "Good data" and a very cold "Don't let your guard down."

_Is this an Echizen Day_? He thought.

The group continued walking for minutes until they reached their goal of free foods.

"First to arrive gets all!" Momoshiro declared as he quickly dashed toward, leaving his team mates behind.

"Nya, Momo, save some for us!" Eiji shouted, hot on his heels.

"Mada mada da ne."

"They sure are rowdy as ever, ne Tezuka?" Fuji stated,glancing at their captain for a while. _Composed as usual_, Fuji thought and a disturbing grin laced his lips.

"There is a 67% rate that if we don't catch up with them, Kaidoh and Momo will be after each other's throat and 97.87% that they've devoured all of them. But," his glasses glinting, Inui look at Kawamura and plowed on, "There is also a 100% that you have made some extra servings especially for us, which those rascals will try to get their hands into it."

Taka smiled.

"And 200% that Fuji's wasabi sushi will remain whole and scratch less."

"Thank you for the consideration, Taka-san." Fuji said.

"Ahaha." Kawamura sweat dropped.

"Nya, I'm so full."

"It's because you ate it all, Eiji-sempai," Momo whined, rubbing his stomach.

Kikumaru Eiji stuck out his tongue playfully. "It's called treating your sempai in a good way."

"Saa, everyone, let's get some pictures," Fuji said fishing out his camera from his school bag. Everyone excluding their coach, Ryuusaki-sensei, their stoic captain Tezuka, Inui, and a certain pig-tailed girl grouped themselves.

"Oi, Sakuno-chan, hurry up." Tomooka called. Everyone's gaze was on the called girl who seemed to be trapped in her own world. When minutes passed and she made no movement, Tomooka approached her. "Sa-Sakuno-chan, are you okay?"

Sakuno just smiled meekly.

"Nya! Ochibi's girlfriend is sad, nya!"

"Eiji-sempai!" Sakuno said, hiding her reddening face to no avail. The other party just shrugged and drank his Ponta.

"You're still thinking about her, Sakuno-chan?" Ryuusaki-sensei asked her granddaughter in which she received a nod. "We'll, it's understandable. Not every day will you come across someone who will suddenly hug you and then cry."

"What happened, Ryuusaki-sensei?" Fuji asked, settling himself beside Tezuka in the counter. Every one fell silent, expecting their coach to tell them what happened, just like how good children behaves to listen to their mother's bedtime stories.

"Well, it was…"

_Obaa-chan, hurry up! Sakuno called her from outside their house." Tomo-chan said we were the only ones out!"_

"_Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming." Well, they surely deserve this after that tiring game. My boy's did grow up. Grabbing her key at the counter top, she headed for the door and stepped outside. "You didn't forgot any…"_

"_MARI!"_

_For Ryuusaki-sensei, the scene in front of her was somewhat alike those dramas she secretly watch late at night. Her granddaughter is in the arms of what she could make out was a middle school girl, except she doesn't remember any school with that set of uniform : black turtle neck with long sleeves, red pleated skirt rising three inches above the knee, knee-high black socks with matching school shoes. Her hair was, Ryuusaki-sensei thought, with her bangs doing a good job in hiding her eyes, was the darkest she ever saw, or was it because the girl was pale, almost having a bloodless complexion. _

_Sensing that her granddaughter was in no danger, she gently approached them. Faking a cough to get their attention, the pale girl, release her granddaughter and stood up._

"_I'm so sorry. I know it's not her but she just look like her. And I can't help it. Forgive me Ma'am." And without further ado, the girl left them, with Ryuusaki-sensei realizing that her voice was quivering, as if cracking, and little Sakuno, though still shocked at the sudden assault, catching a lone tear fell._

"Hmm, well I think it's a case of mistaken identity." Ryoma concluded.

"It is I think so. It is," Momoshiro agreed.

"fsssh," Kaidoh hissed, a signal, for once Momoshiro hinted as "I agree."

"Saa, let's just wish that she finds 'Mari' sooner." Fuji said with his usual smile.

"But she knows Mari won't be coming back," Sakuno sadly said, making the tensai cocked his head towards he, waiting patiently for her next words. "Ma-Mari…Mari-san is dead."

"…"

"Dead?"

"…"

"How did you know that, Sakuno-chan?" Sumire asked her granddaughter, a look of pure concern decipherable.

Sakuno looked at her and said in a trembling voice, '_It's you, Mari. You were dead, and you're alive. I'm sorry it was you who died and not me_.' Obaa-chan, she whispered those words to me."


	2. The Story Behind That Lone Pole

**The Story Behind That Lone Pole**

_Tap tap tap… _

"And you substitute the value of x and y with…"

_Tap tap tap…_

"…borrow 1 positive 5 then solve for the value of x…"

_Tap tap tap…_

"Eiji-kun, will you stop tapping your table?"

_Tap tap tap…_

"EIJI-KUN!"

His teacher's voice finally succeeded in pulling his thoughts from La-la Land. Jerking his body, Kikumaru Eiji, stood, rigid as a board, and almost squeaked. "I don't know the answer, Honda-sensei!" And with that, everybody burst into fits of laughter.

"Nya?" Eiji muttered, looking to his left, where a smiling tensai seat. "Ne, Fujiko, why are they laughing"

But before Fuji could answer him, their teacher's voice was booming. "After class, to the guidance counselor's office, Eiji-kun!"

Eiji could only whine as he fell back into his set while class resumed. "Not again…"

It was a very quiet morning, just like Fuji Syuusuke preferred. With his seat at the back corner, with the window by his side, it was his third favorite place to be, together with his home and the tennis court. Turning his head back to his secretly concealed 'Jack The Ripper's Anthology', and at some point lending his one ear to his teacher, he began picturing himself in late 18th Century London, rounding off Baker Street, until his feet led him to the White Chapel just to find the dead body of Mary Ann Nichols…

It was a very quiet morning, the perfect morning for Fuji Syuusuke, with only the teacher's scribbling in the board and his classmates' silent chattering, and Eiji's cat-like whinning. _If only Tezuka's here, he'll enjoy this._

Just then, the door slid open and Tezuka walked in, said something to their teacher, and went straight in his seat in front him.

"You didn't miss things. Just Eiji as usual," Fuji said.

"Ah," was the stoic's only reply.

Closing his book and resting his cheek in his palm, Fuji smiled at him, amusingly, though Tezuka cannot see.

It was deafening silence again for another 15 minutes and finally the bell rang, earning sighs from the majority of the seniors.

"I have to go there again? I don't want to," Eiji wailed, shaking Fuji's shoulder. "Ne, Fujiko, can't you help me out?"

"Saa, I don't know. And besides, I still have my laps. And Tezuka will be much honored adding a dozen to it if don't come to practice." Fuji stated in a matter-of-a-fact tone, making Eiji's eyes widen to his horror, as he glance at his side where the stoic captain sat.

"This is bad! I have forgotten captain. If I don't appear in today's practice…Noooo!" and the red haired boy comically fell to his seat, for once, his food left untouched, thinking of the many laps Tezuka will award him plus the Inui juice.

"Maa, Eiji, I'm sure you'll survive. You should eat now," Fuji said, handing him his abandoned chopsticks when a shadow was cast above them.

"Already done, Tezuka?" Fuji asked, eyeing his half-finished lunch in which he received a good "ahh." Then, Tezuka turned to his other team mate and said, "Be sure to clean up after you're done." Then he left, leaving a puzzled-inside Fuji. _'Clean up…'_

"Nya! I get to eat buucho's mother's cooking, nya!"

Fuji smiled and started eating his food_. He's not bad in expressing his sympathies, after all._

As soon as Eiji finished eating his now double-bento, he left for the counselor's office, stating that he'd rather have the 'lines' in advance that be absent for practice and face Tezuka's wrath tomorrow. Now, all alone after lunch, the tensai started racking his mind up for some entertainment he can manage to pull when Kawamura appeared.

"I see you've finished early," was Fuji's opening, gesturing him to take the seat that Eiji just left vacant.

Scratching his head while taking the seat, Kawamura looked from his left then to his right, getting Fuji's full curiosity. And a curious Fuji is not good.

"Hmm, you seem edgy Taka-san," came the tensai's signatured sly lines, making the shy Kawamura sweat. And since Kawamura Takashi is known to be a good boy, there is no room for lies, and Fuji will know what the silent power player have in mind.

"Well, you see, it's about the incident three days ago," he began.

"Incident?" Fuji repeated questioningly. "I can't remember any, Taka-san."

"It's about Sakuno-chan," Kawamura quietly said, as not be heard by their other classmates. "About 'Mari'."

Keeping his silence as a sign that Kawamura has his full attention, the power player continued, "My dad heard us while we were talking back then, and at dinner he told me that 'Mari' is the girl who died 2 years ago. She was ten years old at that time. You know the old worn out concrete pole two blocks away from our house?"

"The one in the abandoned lot?"

"Yeah," Takashi nodded. "She was hit by a speeding car and died on the spot. My father did said that if you look closely, Sakuno-chan have a striking resemblance to 'Mari'.

"And the girl who hugged Sakuno-chan might be a relative, perhaps," Fuji pondered

"That is the problem," Taka said, making Fuji revealed his sharp eyes for seconds. "Dad said he don't recall 'Mari' having a sister, or a relative. It was her father whom he had the chance to meet and he clearly told my dad that he only has a daughter. So who is she?"

"That we have to know if we see her. Taka-san, have you told the others about this?"

"No, not yet. You were the first to know."

"Will you do me the honor of keeping this a secret between us in the mean time?" Fuji asked, his smile unnerving, to which Takashi Kawamura can only grimace. "I'll do a little digging."

"But, I'm worried about Sakuno-chan, that's why I told you," he reasoned out. And it was the truth. Sadist as he is, to Kawamura Takashi's point of view, Fuji Syuusuke is the most reasonable one to talk to.

"And you have to trust me about it," Fuji playfully said.

He was about to say some more when the bell rang, and the tensai got up on his feet. "I have History, what do you have?"

"Math," Kawamura said, scratching his head.

"You better go. Honda-sensei sent Eiji in the counselor's office again," he said, cleaning their table from litters. Today is 'x' and 'y'." And with that, Fuji Syuusuke made his way out of the classroom to his next subject, with a puzzled Kawamura behind.


	3. The Poker and The Sadist

**The Poker and The Sadist**

"So, Orihara-san, what made you decide to pick this school? Don't get me wrong," the principal hastily added when he saw Rima look at him straight in the eye. "I'm sure the other schools will greatly accept you, maybe they would even go as far as ditch the preliminary assessment and will quickly show you around. What can the reason be, Orihara-san?"

"It's the nearest," was Rima's only reply.

The principal shifted his seat to a much more comfortable one. Then adjusting his glasses, he re-examined her profile again. " Academic achievements… Instruments: piano, violin, flute. Games: board games, mind games…Orihara-san, I am greatly impressed with your academic records. I believe you could even give the teachers a run for their money. But the problem is…"

"There is a problem?" Rima asked. "I don't understand Kanda-kaichou."

"This," the principal said, laying her profiler flat in the table and using his pen, pointed it in the curricular column. "I'm afraid we don't offer these instruments in here. Seigaku is known for its students growing through time, meaning it's drums, guitars, keyboards and other likes. Also the students here are like bottled drinks. You know what happens when you shake a coke, right?"

"It'll soon explode," Rima flatly answered, unimpressed by the old man's rantings._ I don't care. I just have to get close to her!_

"Yes. Rough games are here, Orihara-san, with tennis as the prominent one. So I'm afraid I'll be hearing a change of heart."

'_I need to get out, I'm getting suffocated, let me get out!'_ "I'm fine with that Kanda-kaichou. I'm not planning in making a big name here. It's just for senior year."

_No, let me get out of here! I don't like it in here! Mari save me!_

"Well, then, I hope you have a great time in Seigaku. Proceed to the registrar's office so you can start tomorrow. Have a good stay, Orihara-san."

_I'm scared…let me get out…_

"Thank you Kanda-kaichou." With that, Rima walked out and left. 2 minutes later, Rima was back in the same office, wearing her poker face.

"Orihara-san, is there any problem?" the principal asked, puzzled.

"I'm afraid to remind you that starting tomorrow I will be a new student here, and I don't know where the registrar is."

Sigaku Tennis Team afternoon practice…

"stupid peach,"

"you really wanna have it, viper?!"

"BURNING!

"Oishi, Inui's going crazy again!"

"Mada mada da ne."

Oishi could only sigh and pray that Tezuka would pop out of nowhere and silence the ruckus around. Momo and Kaidoh were bickering as usual, as he dubbed, eternal rivalry. Eiji constantly whines, but Oishi knows that any minute from now, his stamina will weakens, giving Oishi a 100 counts of silence. Inui is now testing his new vegetable juice version with Arai and the others as his guinea pigs. Their pillar of support was now doing serves. Oishi smiled at Echizen, who doesn't seem to give a damn to anything but tennis. At least he is sane enough…

"Stooppp!Echizen, are you trying to kill us?!" From the other side of the court came Horio's voice, and Oishi winced at the realization that the 'sane' Echizen was doing serves against the first year trio. "Why don't you play with Fuji-sempai?"

"But with your two years of experience in tennis, I was pretty sure you can easily return that." Echizen haughtily said.

_Fuji! Oishi thought. Where is him?_

"Saa, I never thought Echizen also likes people to suffer,"

Oishi almost tripped as Fuji suddenly appeared behind him. "Where have you been?"

"Just some errands that can't wait. Tezuka?" He asked, not looking as he zipped out his racket.

"He's not here either, and I thought you two were together."

"He'll be here in no time. And Oishi," Fuji said, his eerie smile reaching from ear to ear, making the vice-captain take a step back, " you should quickly pacify this or Tezuka will unleash hell." And with that, he turned in his heels towards Echizen who was sporting a very bored face.

"Would you rather have a match with me, Echizen?"

The trio's eyes lit up. Surely, it's their savior. "Hah, Fuji-sempai make sure to beat him for us," Horio fumed. He was the most recipient of Echizen's twist serves.

"Saa, I'll see what I can do about that,"

"Mada mada da ne.

Oishi could only rub his temple as pain started ticking in from the inside. _'Fuji is a loss case.'_

"This is the registrar's office."

"Arigatou," and she went straight inside the office, leaving the stoic captain outside.

Tezuka noted that this new student is weird. First, her silence. Not that he care, but for Tezuka who was raised in an old fashioned way, a simple 'yoroshiku onegaishimasu' don't kill. And this girl is far-fetched. He had just ditched practice because the principal asked him to take care of the new student, and now it was like he was walking with his doppelganger. And now, she just left him without even thanking him. Not that he mind. He is Tezuka Kunimitsu. Nothing matters but tennis.

_What was her name again? Ah, Orihara-san…_

"Sumimasen,"

"Huh?" Tezuka fought a little not to be distracted, for the poker faced girl suddenly appeared in front of him. "I'm done. Thank you." And once again Tezuka was left alone to himself. Minutes later, after composing himself, he went straight to the court where he found his team mates almost sprawled in the ground, with a smiling Fuji sitting cross legged holding what seemed to Tezuka was an Inui Juice.

"Saa, Tezuka, we were worried you wouldn't make it," Fuji innocently said.

Tezuka scanned his surrounding. Kaidoh and Momo, and the other non-regular members were unconscious by the fountain. The first year trio was also unconscious, with Horio sporting a blackened eye due to Ryoma's earlier service games. Eiji had his back by the wall but awake. Inui cackled like mad, scribbling furiously in his notebook, and from afar, a loud 'Burning!' was heard.

He could feel his veins popping with every second. "What happened?" came his raspy question.

Fuji stood up and held the bottle in front of him. "We just had a game and it turns out everyone actually lose, even me. So hence, the Inui juice."

_Just as I thought. Fuji, there is nothing innocent in you_. "Fuji, fifty laps."

"Hai," the tensai answered, but before leaving, called out to Inui. "Can I have this," holding the last bottle of Inui juice, "just in case I got thirsty."

Inui scribbled again, furiously.


	4. The New Student

**The New Student**

"_Mari, listen. I need you to stay awake no matter what, you hear me?"_

"_Nee-chan, it's too dark, I can't see. Nee-chan, where are you? I'm scared and cold. Nee-chan?"_

"_Oh, God, please, Mari I'm here beside you. Please stay awake for me. The ambulance will arrive any minute n…Ma-Mari? No, Mari wake up, Mari! MARI!_

'_Why didn't you wake up?'_ Rima asked herself, allowing her tears to fall with the hot water coursing down her body. _'Why did you have to go, Mari? We did promise each other to be together forever._ Unconsciously, she placed her hands in her chest and fell on her knees, allowing her agony to express themselves. She was crying, again. If anyone could see her in this state, they might say that this is her morning routine. There was never a day that she didn't cry her heart out, though nobody can hear her. It was painful for her, traumatizing, though she thinks she deserved it. _'It was my fault._ _Why did she have to die? It should be me. Me._

"I can't take this anymore. I think I'll drop by sick in the office." Eiji said, standing up and walking groggily for the door, accidentally bumping on of his girl classmates_._

"Really Eiji, you can barely stand," Oishi said in his mother hen tone. "Gomen, Yoshino-san."

"It's okay, Oishi-kun. Eiji-kun, are you sick or something?" said girl asked, to which Eiji replied with a nod.

"Is it just me or are all the members of the tennis team sick?"

Oishi could only force a smile at the persistent girl. "Party overdose. All of them awfully ate a lot," he lied. Though he hated it, there was nothing he can do. "If you'll excuse us, I'll take him to the infirmary," he finally said, grabbing Eiji's arm and putting it around his shoulder for support. "Hey, can you walk?" he whispered to him.

"Yeah, but my head is spinning," Eiji mumbled. "Just let me skip practice today."

"Okay, I'll tell Tezuka. Seriously, you know what a game with Fuji mean, didn't you? "

"Oishi please, not now," Eiji said, stopping by the corridor and suddenly he covered his mouth with his hands.

"Eiji, what's wrong?" Oishi asked worriedly, but Eiji's eyes were bulging wide. "I'm gonna throw up…"

"_I really hope they are alright.' _Kawamura thought as he made his way to his class room. 8:40 am was the senior's first subject. Checking his wrist watch, it was only 8:20._'I still have 20 minutes more. Maybe I can do some running around and check if everyone is okay. Really, sometimes Fujiko-chan can go overboard.' _He was about to go down to the third floor to check the second years when he saw a very unfamiliar face looking down on what Kawamura could make out as Seigaku's Manual for New Students. Kawamura studied the new face for a moment and he succeeded in drawing out his conclusion: the new face is likely a sophomore, and that the new student will be late if it keeps on wandering in the fourth floor. Fourth floor belongs to the third years, third floor for the sophomores and second floor for the first years. The first floor houses the teacher's offices, library, and music and others. Thus, deciding to tell the new student to go down to the third floor, Kawamura approached,

"Are you a new student?" He asked while scratching the back of his head.

"Yes,"

"Well, fourth floor is for the seniors only. So I think your classroom is downstairs. If you don't hurry up, you'll be late. By the way, my name is Kawamura Takashi, but you can call me Taka-san."

"Arigatou," the new student said without looking at him. "You should hurry up too, then, or else you'll be late too. Jaa, Ta-ka-sa-n," and he was left alone.

"If you keep spacing out here, you'll be late, Taka-san,"

"Fuji,"

"Nya, Fujiko, you really are mean." Eiji wailed for the fifth time. " I'm never gonna play with you again."

"Saa, I thought you were planning to stay home?"

"Nya," Eiji suddenly exclaimed excitedly, nausea quickly forgotten. "I forgot to tell you. Honda-sensei said that I can go home after he introduced the new student, nya."

"New student?" Oishi asked, turning his head to look at the overly excited acrobatic player.

"Hmmm… but I thought it's the sophomores that have a new student. Taka-san told me he met the new student," Fuji said.

"Nyah, Taka-san told Fujiko?"

"Well, come to think of it, Taka-san said by the looks of the new student, there was no way that it was a senior. And the new student wasn't wearing uniform either so he said it's hard to tell."

"Is that so? Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see for ourselves, right Tezuka?" Oishi asked.

"Ahh."

Right on cue, the door slid open, and a very flustered Honda-sensei entered.

"Nyah, sensei seems angr…"

"DID YOU SAID SOMETHING, EIJI-KUN?'

"Nyah, no Honda-sensei. I didn't say something," Eiji quickly answered, zipping his mouth comically.

The whole class fell silent by the terror teacher's unexpected mood. Sure, Honda-sensei enjoys sending his precious students to the office and a detention awaits those who failed to answer his wicked exercises.

"Everyone, listen…" the teacher began, his voice laced with acid, that Fuji is sure of.

'_He really dislikes this new student. Now, I'm really intrigued,' _Fuji thought, his sadistic smile creeping Eiji.

",,, as you all know, we have a new student, so 'BE NICE.'"

'_Hurry up and show yourself to me,_' now, for the first time, Seigaku's resident tensai couldn't wait, especially when he heard the teacher stressed the word 'be nice'.

"Orihara-san, if you please,"

Every one's eyes focused on the door as it gendly slid open and the new student stepped in. Without waiting for her teacher to tell her to introduce herself and for her classmates to take in her appearance, she took a piece of chalk and scribbled on the board.

The class could only watch, some in their horror, for Fuji, in his excitement, and Honda-sensei in anger as the new student scribbled for a couple of minutes, and afterwards chucked the used chalk back to the box. Then she stood beside the board, with her poker face for everyone to read.

Name: Orihara Rima.

Age: 13 years old.

Nationality: Japanese

Dislikes: Math, Honda-sensei

Every one paled after reading the last part. Some brave enough, including Eiji, dared look at their teacher and immediately clamped his mouth with his two hands, eventually turning blue for trying hard to contain his laughter. Oishi could only look down to his table and Tezuka remained as usual. Fuji on the other hand, rested his face in his hands, looked straight to the front, and smiled.

"Class, today is self study. Orihara-san, to the principal's office. Now!"


	5. Welcome to Seigaku

**Welcome to Seigaku**

Rima could only throw her new homeroom teacher a lonesome, bored look as she turned to her heels to leave. She could've sworn that she could hear her new classmates' disapproval of her actions, while she was sure a group of boys from the far left corner were grinning from ear to ear, as if she had done something noble, like standing against giant waves with just a pin for defense and eventually succeeding, though she dared not look. _Sure,_ she thought, _they are quite enjoying the show_. Sliding the door shut, she began quickening her pace with the intention of getting out of sight and getting her new homeroom teacher's voice off of her head when, as she turned by the corridor, she suddenly saw _he_r.

_Mari._

_No, it's not her. _

_She's dead._

_I killed her._

A sudden surge of emotions flooded her aching heart that she felt herself breaking any moment if she stayed any longer. Gathering the little amount of strength left from her earlier 'crying session', she heaved a deep sigh and turned for the opposite direction and ran. It was the only thing she was good at-running away.

Back at the classroom…

"…the coolest girl ever!"

"…saw sensei's face?"

"…wished Fujiko took a picture, nyah!"

Circulating all over the class as well as reaching the other rooms were stories of the new student's boldness and how she was sent to the principal's office, the latter, the boys think as some crazy achievement, to be sent there directly, bypassing the guidance counselor, and the girls, feeling sorry for Orihara-san for the very rough first day, erm, hours, although some thinks that the poker-faced girl did deserved it.

"Honestly, going to school with the dress of your choice? What's the big deal?" The class prima-donna Souho Kaori retorted, sitting with her legs crossed, her eyes not leaving the Vogue magazine lying on top of them. "And what's with that face?"

"Nyah, Kaori-chan stop saying those things about Rima-chan."

"Rima-chan?" Souho Kaori sneered. "First name basis? Hmmm, I see you're already close. I wonder why...Oh I forgot," the girl maliciously said in her stupidly high-pitched voice which Fuji noted as twisted, "you're in detention together with your Rima-chan. Well," she dismissively added, getting up and motioning her three other group mates who only look like her minions to follow her to the door "give my regards to Rima-chan, ne Eiji-kun." And only a loud thud was rewarded for the silent, faithful door.

"Mou, I just can't believe her," Eiji complained, slapping his hands to the nearest table, startling the boy sitting behind it.

"Eiji," his doubles partner exasperatedly said, "You knew too well than to get to an argument with Souho-san, right?"

"But Oishi, this is Rima-chan's first day and they are not treating her well," Eiji replied. "Kaori-chan's complaining about her dress, but I think they are cute, ne Fujiko-chan?"

Beside the window, with his eyes usually closed, Fuji replied with a smile. "But shouldn't you worry more for yourself, Eiji?"

"Nyah?" Eiji pouted, faced concentrating to decipher the tensai's message. "Fujiko, don't give me a hard time, you know my limit."

Oishi mentally slapped his face as he look hopelessly to his partner, then sighed in frustrations as he glanced sideward to Fuji, to which he received an eerie smile. "He means rather that thinking about her, how about thinking about your own detention."

It was as though a bucket of cold water was splashed on his head as he remembered his own detention. Automatically turning pale and his face twisting with discomfort, Eiji Kikumaru slowly glanced at the person sitting quietly in front of the tensai, absorbed in a book Eiji could not tell what, for he could not understand what was written in it, for in all fourteen years of his existence, he never saw those kind of writings or letters before, if they can be considered as letters. _Tezuka._

As if sensing that there were eyes watching over him, Kunimitsu Tezuka slowly looked up in time to see a very pale-faced acrobatic player looking at him to some horror, a worrisome Oishi and a smiling sadist for a tensai.

"Welcome back to Japan, Tezuka," Fuji said and Tezuka just nodded, making Oishi sigh in relief. Eiji on the other hand, almost looked like bleached and started sweating cold, and almost squeaked his 'nyah' when their captain addressed him.

"Do not let your guard down, Eiji" Tezuka said, but to Eiji's cracking head it means, 'don't be late for practice or it's 50 laps.'

"Where are you going, Tezuka?" Oishi asked when Tezuka slung his bag and headed for the door.

"Are you going to look for Orihara-san?" Fuji teased; an innocent smile hiding is evil smirk. "I just saw her got out from the gym," he added, cocking his head slightly to the window, indicating that he just saw her passed by right down his trail of sight.

Knowing Seigaku's resident tensai very well, Tezuka just ignored his quirks and said, "I need to use the library," which was followed by '_I'm going with you' _and a '_practice starts at three_,' that was a reminder for the dream pair.

Few minutes have passed after Tezuka and Oishi went to the library and it was silence between the two of them; Eiji slumped in his chair with his head in his table and Fuji pouring his heart again in his copy of 'The Little Prince' until a shrill 'kyaa' erupted, getting everyone's else attention, some making their way outside to check what was it all about. Not long after, Fuji caught sight of her, poker faced Orihara Rima, with her new sets of uniform sticking out of the paper bag with her, entering the classroom, stopping by the same spot she stood hours ago, her eyes darting to and fro until it stopped, _directly in him._

Eiji, who seemed to notice the staring competition, poked him hard. "Nyah, Fujiko, Rima-chan's staring at you. Why?"

"Saa, Eiji," Fuji answered, his sharp gaze revealing his sapphire orbs not leaving the girl in front. "Saa,"

Soon, other students were also looking at them with their breaths held up, for no one dared stand up against their tensai, not that Fuji Syuusuke would make an invincible foe; on the other hand, he was their image of the perfect gentleman, minus the sadistic part. It was just that an awakened Fuji (eyes opened) is not a good sign. '_Now,_ they thought in unison, _'what did the new student do to anger the great tensai?'_

_Not really caring a little bit for the world, Orihara Rima walked straight toward him, the students now literally holding their breaths, some backing away, frightened on what the new student might do and scared as hell on how Seigaku's resident tensai will retaliate at such assault. On the other hand, Eiji stood beside his friend, his eyes darting to the new student, then back to Fuji, and so on._

_Finally, Rima was only a meter away from Fuji and everyone was patiently waiting for the explosion of the two ticking bombs, but to their surprise, disappointment, and relief, Rima just passed by him and settled in the additional seat at the back of Eiji's. Fuji, the tensai that he is, quickly hid his slight disappointment at the turn of events in his mask of unnerving smile. But before everyone could react, a fuming Souho Kaori slammed the door open and shrieked, followed by a very flustered classmate of them, Kinoshita Maki._

"_ORIHARA RIMA!" Souho Kaori shouted, scanning the classroom for a minute, and when she sighted her, marched in her direction. A very Souho-ish confrontation including a dozen of shrieks and foul words were the usual expectations of the crowds, but it went down south as the senior's prima-donna suddenly yanked Rima by the collar, dragging her up her seat into her snarling face._

"_Hey, stop them…"_

_Fuji tried to step up and reason with her, with Eiji trying to loosen Souho's grip, but Souhu snapped. "Don't you dare, Eiji," she glared daggers at him, taking Eiji aback. Then returning her piercing glare to her poker faced prey, Souho Kaori tightened her grip in her. "Just a newbie, but you're pissing the shit out of me,big time," she spewed._

"_Just stop it, Kaori-chan," a petite girl pleaded._

"_What?!" Souho snapped at her, her anger evident with her shaking hand, seemingly ready for the great kill. "After what she did to you…"_

"_She didn't do anything, so please let her go! You're hurting her..."_

_The last straw of her patience must've ran out, for after hearing her best friend defended the new girl in front of her, Souho Kaori didn't realized that she had pushed Rima sideways, who was unable to maintain her balance, and if not for the flexible Eiji who caught her, Rima would've kiss the unfamiliar floor._

"_Kaori-chan!"_

"_That's enough Souho-san," Fuji said._

"_You…Maki…you're on her side? But I'm just doing this for you," Souho Kaori said, her voice cracking._

"_I told you she didn't do anything wrong…"_

"_You screamed. You were sprawled in the floor and she was towering over you! Elementary students can clearly tell the story!"_

"_Nyah? Maki-chan, it was you who screamed?" Eiji asked, helping Rima stood up, the latter not bothering to thank him._

_Kinoshita Maki lowered her head and nodded. She then turned to the expressionless face of Rima and bowed deeply, much to Souho Kaori's horror._

"_What the fuc…"_

"_I'm very sorry for what Kaori-chan did," Maki quickly started, silencing her best friend's factory of profanities of a mouth. "She was just protecting me. And thank you for saving me." Then a blush suddenly crept in her cheeks. "I was always afraid of spiders, and it never did crossed my mind that there might be some lurking around. Thank you."_

_The class fell in a deep silence as realization hit them. Kinoshita-san plus spider plus Orihara-san and the equation is simple – Kinoshita Maki saw a spider and was terrified at it and screamed, and the new student Orihara-san saw her and saved her and the next thing was Souho Kaori is after Orihara-san's throat. _

_She was just a lonely new student, but what had they done?_

_They were murmuring things about how cruel Orihara Rima's first day in Seigaku was when an unfamiliar song filled the classroom, the sound louder between Rima and Eiji._

"_Nyah? Not me," was Eiji's reply to the silent questions of the onlookers. _

_Rima just shrugged as she fished her phone in her pocket and without bothering for some privacy answered it. 'Dad…in school…I'm fine. Getting sent to the principal's office in the morning, yanked by the collar and thrown sideways, plus a two hours detention in the afternoon, how lucky can I get…I can take care of myself…bye." Shutting her phone off, she looked around to her classmates and said, "Welcome to Seigaku."_


	6. Mizuki Hajime

**Have already published five chapters, only to notice that I have forgotten the most important part of it: the disclaimer!**

**Prince of Tennis and its characters solely belongs to Takeshi Konomi. **

**Mizuki Hajime**

"...and I believe that this will boost not only our school but every other school's performance and camaraderie, don't you think so, Tezuka?"

"Ahh,"

Ryuuzaki-sensei could only nod in understanding on the stoic captain's lack of words, not that she has any complaints about it; on the other hand, she would rather have a quiet Tezuka than a captain blabbering laps to his poor team mates. '_This will be interesting. Let's see how each captain takes hold of those brats.'_

It was a week ago when Ryuuzaki-sensei was contacted by Hyotei's Atobe Keigo telling her that his team is planning to have a practice match with Shitenhōji (四天宝寺中学校) and Fudomine Middle School (市立不動峰中学校 , and that he will be very accommodating to have Seigaku (青春学園)join as well, thus in the end resulted with the idea of the All Star Gathering.

"Ryuuzaki-sensei, is this kind of practice really allowed?" a worried Oishi asked, his eyes following the poor yellow ball getting hit back and forth by the now pissed off Momoshiro and mercilessly eating snake shots from the irritated Kaidoh.

Their coach glanced at him, then back at the rallying pair. "Those two, I wonder what kind of play they will exhibit during the practice match." She noted that after she had announced the upcoming gathering, the sophomores Momoshiro and Kaidoh have somewhat been more energetic that ever, now doing their fourth game, the previous all turning to no games.

"Take this, viper!" Momoshiro shouted as he smashed the poor ball for the third time in that same rally, all for the hissing Kaidoh to brace his arms and knees and execute another boomerang.

"Fsssh," Kaidoh huffed, quickly getting back in his line of defense as Momoshiro ran for a slice, ignoring the scorching heat of the midday summer sun.

"Am I that pretty late?"

Tezuka need not turn to the direction of the voice, for within seconds, Fuji Syuusuke appeared by his side, same stupid smile present, with his bags in his shoulder.

'Fuji, where have you been? I've been calling you for ages," came the mother hen's voice.

The tensai turned to him and smiled. "Just some errand I really need to do. And my phone ran out of power. I'm sorry."

"Then, how was it?" came Ryuuzaki-sensei's voice from behind.

"Yukimura said they will participate," Fuji replied, making the coach's smile widen, and Tezuka, still in his passive look.

"Yu…Yukimura? You don't mean Yukimura of…"

"Rikkaidai Fuzoku," Ryuuzaki sensei finished it for him. "Since Yukimura doesn't have the habit of fiddling with phones while in school, I asked Fuji to go there and talk to him personally."

"Sensei," Oishi suddenly sounded alarmed, now his face etched with unknown terror. "That was pretty dangerous, for him to go there all alone. Think of Kirihara…"

"Hmm, now that I think of Kirihara, he was much more _'behaved_' at that time. Saa, I wonder how Yukimura _did that_," Fuji said, his voice, to Oishi's point of view, was laced with spiteful malice, the kind he uses when he flip into his sadistic persona.

"So now, we have Hyotei, Shitenhoji, and Tachibana confirmed Fudomine's participation. Rikkaidai Fuzoku will be bringing Kirihara, and…" 

"St. Rudolph. I trust you're not planning in leaving us behind, Fuji?"

Appearing out of nowhere was a smirking Mizuki, with Fuji's younger brother, trying foolishly to get himself not to be noticed, but to no avail. "Err, good afternoon," he awkwardly said.

"Ah, Mizuki of St. Rudolph, right? Of course, we were just about to call you," Ryuuzaki-sensei replied, the idea of having a lively and productive special training with the participation of almost all of the dominant schools confirmed, now beginning to branch out, like a wild fire unstoppable and getting large with every seconds that passed. "What do you think of _his idea_, Tezuka, Oishi?"

Oishi ponder for a moment, but then nodded in agreement in the end, while Tezuka just remain passive. Fuji, on the other hand, choose to kept his _usual façade_ and remained silent, his trail of vision concentrated in the rallying pair in front of them, until a speeding yellow blob whizzed toward them, directly making impact against the cyclone wires in front of Mizuki, who remained standing and unperturbed, as if nothing happened, while Yuuta was gawking at him.

"Yuuta, are you alright," Momoshiro asked, hastily making his way towards them.

"I'm okay," Yuuta replied, getting up and dusting his pants.

"I'm sorry, that baka hit it out of the way…"

"Stupid peach, if your vision is just clear enough, you would've been able to guess in which direction the ball is going," from afar Kaidoh retorted. "Fssshh,"

"Damn you, what did you said? My vision is perfectly fine," Momoshiro said through gritted teeth, his utter disgust to his team mate illuminated with every word he said. "You…"

"Shut up, you stupid brats!"Ryuuzaki-sensei bellowed, for once, the bickering pair noticed her presence and lowered their head.

"Speaking of vision, I don't see _him_," Mizuki muttered under his breath, scanning the courts around, just like what he does when he is scouting talented players.

"_Him?"_ Yuuta asked.

"Yes, _him_," Mizuki answered in a rather malicious tone, making the quiet tensai throw him a glance. "If it's vision you're talking about, there is only one in Seigaku that remains outstanding, more than that prodigy," he added, looking smugly at the freshman regular who was busy tying his shoelaces. "Now, really, where is Eiji Kikumaru?"

"He's got something so he will be skipping practice," Oishi truthfully said, praying under his breath that Mizuki's questioning would die sooner, but unfortunately, it kept on, jumping from topic to topic, making the vice-captain dance in his hands, until Fuji seemed to notice his intention and intercepted one of his mind games, mentally saving Oishi from spilling information about the team.

"I think it's better to wait for the gathering, you can get all the information you wanted there, am I right, Mizuki?" Fuji stated flatly, making the manager raised a brow. "And by the way, Yuuta," he added, turning his gaze to his brother who was much more absorbed in watching the exchange of insults of the two sophomores that the game, "you should go home tomorrow. She's expecting you."

Before Yuuta could reply, Eiji suddenly appeared and pounced on the older Fuji. "Yay, Fujiko, did I miss something…wow, I think those two literally wanted to kill each other than play," he remarked, looking mischievously at the bickering pair still locked tightly in their practice game.

"Then, how did it go, Eiji?" Fuji asked his friend, to which he received a wail.

"Mou, Fujiko, I thought I was going to have a good time in detention with Rima-chan, but she didn't talk to me at all."

"Eiji, it's Orihara-san," Oishi reminded him.

"Orihara-san?" Ryuuzaki said, questioningly, looking at OIshi.

"She's the new student in our class. She's just thirteen years old but she's already in her senior year as well,"

"Oh, I heard about her. Gave Honda-sensei the shock of his life, right? The rumors were all around," their coach said, holding back her laughter as she tried to picture the vinegar-soaked like face of the terror teacher she saw when she passed by his office and heard him muttering words like '_humiliation_' and _'disrespect._'

"Hey, Eiji, would you mind saying again the name of the new student?" Mizuka acidly asked, making all heads turn to his direction, even Tezuka who slightly cocked his head to the side.

Being the dense that he is, Eiji Kikumaru playfully said it out loud. "O-ri-ha-ra Ri-ma-chan."

As soon as the name was spilled out of his friend's lips, Fuji noticed that Mizuki Hajime's face darkens, his jaw tightens, and his hands closed tightly, his knuckles eventually turning white.

Noticing his manager's sudden change of aura, Yuuta tapped his shoulder. "Mizuki-san,"

"We're leaving," was Mizuki's short growl for a response, and he briskly walked away, leaving the younger Fuji trailing behind like a faithful dog, without noticing the sharp eyes of the tensai focused on the angered manager. '_Mizuki Hajime. Orihara Rima,_' he thought.

"Nyah, what happened to him?" Eiji asked Fuji, but it was Tezuka who answered him.

"Eiji, twenty laps."


	7. The French at The Court

**Disclaimer: Like I said before, PoT solely belongs to Konomi Takeshi.**

**The French at the Court**

**Tortured. **It was the only word Rima could think of to best describe the current appearance of the soba bread being devoured by another unfamiliar face, wearing the same jersey like the four of her new classmates, that with each bite, the boy seemed being sent to heaven with the look of utmost glory his face was showing. She was never fond of watching other people's agendas for her own entertainment, but as hard as she tried to ignore the ruckus erupting from the table three meters away from her, she thought that it was impossible, let alone turned a deaf ear, for with each laughter and humor that rose from that particular table, it was really unimaginable not to turn a curious eye.

One month. One month has passed since she transferred to Seigaku, the place she thought was the right place for her to start from scratches, only to be slapped in the face by the reality that being fair to other won't grant her access to heaven, or vice versa. Only one month and her diary was almost full with the many things she had written, the majority of it not the things she can brag about, if ever she will do that.

First was her dramatic entrance to Class 3-6. '_I was nervous that time_,' she thought, justifying her rather arrogant act with the poker façade. Yes, she had told the principal the truth that she has no intention in making a name, that she only wanted her senior year to be, if normal, just plain. But by the way her new homeroom looked at her as if she was a disgusting tick wasting his precious time brought her over the edge. She will make him clearly see that she also didn't like him, thus the blackboard message. She was ready for a detention alone, but she was surprised when a red haired male who introduced himself as a Seigaku tennis regular joined her in doing her lines.

'_Nyah, you can call me Eiji,' the boy whispered, as if afraid to get caught by his least favorite teacher.'Rima-chan, what are you writing?'_

'_Lines,' she replied quietly, not bothering to look at him, concentrating in her own paper. She was supposed to finish five sheets of paper with the words 'I am very sorry Honda-sensei', and now she was on her third. _

'_Nyah, Rima-chan,you have beautiful handwritings,' again came Eiji's voice, leaning closer to her that for a moment, she felt impossible to breath._

'…_close,'_

'_Huh? You said something, Rima-chan?'_

'_Too close,' she almost squeaked, feeling her face heating up with the sudden invasion of her privacy._

'_Nyah, Rima-chan kawaii!'_

Cute? He called me cute? Really, what a way to tick her.

Then, their homeroom teacher suddenly came inside, looking furious than ever, snatching a couple of Rima's paper to her horror, and within a few seconds, Rima was told to see the principal again, with Eiji left behind.

'_If only that red haired guy kept his mouth shut, if only he wasn't too close, if only…'_ Rima could only sigh, remembering the teacher's look when he suddenly snatched the 'wrong paper' from her, where a dozen of 'I'm not so sorry, Honda-sensei' was written.

Frustrated. Binded. That was what she was feeling that time, and she knows any minute now, with just a little poke, she'll burst. It was quickly building up inside her; the tension, agony, annoyance, the unwanted feeling of being the center of everyone's attention, and the everyday topic of the school, as she heard them frequently talking about her. With such irritation, she unconsciously poked her tempura with such force that it landed to the floor, much to the annoyance of the girl sitting in the next table just in front of her.

"Are French people really that ignorant? Do you really think chop sticks were made to stick it to your lousy hair?"

"Kaori-chan, stop it," from the same table came Kinoshita Maki's voice.

"Tche," Souho Kaori retorted, getting her revenge on her parfait.

"Je suis vraiment desole," Rima suddenly said, quickly standing up and bowing down, getting the attentions of the students around, including the tennis team, their ruckus pacified. Then lifting her head up, her frozen lips broke into a sinister smile as she said before turning away, "La prochaine fois, vous allez mourir."

"Bullshit, bitch," Kaori growled, making her classmates around her winced. "You say something?" With appalling height, she was now towering at Rima, who remained not expressionless, but for the first time, a grimace plastered in her lips, infuriating more her mortal enemy.

"Why? Can't understand it? It's the language the ignorant French use," Rima sarcastically said, making Souho Kaori's face flushed with anger. She was feeling kind of possessed and all she could ever think about was to get over it with this kind of stress release. "Didn't you know? Perhaps you're an ignorant as well,"

The tall girl suddenly whipped something from under the table, and then a few seconds later, Rima found herself face to face with a purple tennis racket. It was as though Souho Kaori had barely manage to stop herself from smashing the thirteen year old bitch in front of her, evident from the quivering of her gripping hand and the tightness of her jaw.

"Hey," from behind came Oishi's voice. "I think this is getting far. Please stop this, Souho-san, Orihara-san."

"Gomen ne, Oishi-kun, but this time, you are not interfering," Souho spat, racket still in front of Rima, who only smirked at her.

"You know, French people know that a tennis racket can only be used in playing tennis, but you did a better presentation of a bully with a bat," Rima sneered, her heart beat accelerating at such speed that she felt her heart might explode if she dared hold her breath. '_Better get on with this,_' her head screamed.

Souho's face darkened as she heard Rima making a fool out of her. "And what do you know about tennis, you bitch?"

"I can't tell you,"

"You mother fu…"

"But I can show you."

The afternoon was dominated with a clear sky, the sun not in its hottest but still with its blinding light that the students who came to the tennis court resorted to wearing caps and visors. Normally, screaming fan girls will be all around watching and cheering for their favorite player, with an 'I like you Fuji-sempai' chant mostly heard. Sometimes, if it was Tuesday or Friday, when Tezuka's team would run downtown instead of field laps, boys from all years would gather to get their full dose of creamy legs and chick actions as the girl's tennis team dominates the courts.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Souho Kaori entered the court, looking high a mighty, wearing her Fila pink wristband, white Fila tank, and pink Fila skorts with white stripes in both sides, in Ryoma Echizen,s mind, she looked like a sports apparel endorser.

"Kaori-chan," from behind the cyclone fence came her best friend's voice. "Kaori-chan."

Kaori only smiled sincerely. "I just needed to get the conclusion of this, captain. And I think it's the same for her."

"I still can't believe even Ryuuzaki-sensei allowed this. Can't we stop this, Tezuka?"

Standing beside Kinoshita Maki was the boy's tennis team, their captain looking passive than ever at the sudden turn of events. "Both the coaches allowed this,"

"Saa," Fuji spoke, eyes scanning the court for a clue as to where the little devil is lurking. "I think they have their own reasons,"

"Hey, hey, Tezuka, Maki-chan, stop that. I can't believe both captains really wanted to stop this," Kaori said, crossing her arms in her chest. Then, sensing the captains' worried looks, she exasperatedly said, "fine, I'll just teach her a lesson, that's all, happy?"

"Hah, make sure you don't lose face for the regulars, Souho-sempai. You can't, sempai. Surely, you can't,"from under the tree, as if hiding from the heat, Momoshiro Takeshi said, soba bread in hand.

The prima donna cocked her head to his direction and blinked an eye, making the sophomore blush. "You owe me a treat, Momo-kun,"

The chatting and laughter quickly vanished and was replaced with a deafening silence as the students noticed her arrival, not too flashy, not too trivial. Orihara Rima entered the tennis court wearing her school uniform, a black-red Grandea racket in her right hand, followed by none other than Ryuuzaki-sensei. Both captains approached her, Kinoshita Maki almost breaking into a run while Tezuka seemed to take his time.

"Sensei," Maki began her expression a mix of worriedness and confusion. "Sensei, is this really alright? Kaori-chan is mad."

"I think this is a great chance for her to overcome that flaw. Souho-san is a talented player but letting her hot headedness lead her will eventually destroy her," Ryuuzaki-sensei explained.

She was about to say something else when she heard a racket fell, and her best friend muttered 'court', tossing a ball to Rima. "If the ball suddenly chases you, it's not my fault. Blame the ball," she heard her added.

Orihara Rima walked slowly towards the service box, playfully tossing the ball up and down. _'I have to get on with it,_' she thought as she stood by outside the white line. Puffing out some air, she was about to throw the ball up when her eyes caught a sapphire pair. '_What was his name again? Fujiko?'_

"Take care, Orihara-san," beyond the cyclone fence Fuji Syuusuke mouthed to her, making his other team mates ogled him about his words, especially Eiji who was jumping like he was on fire.

"Nyah, Fujiko, do you like Rima-chan?" Eiji asked, not caring to lower his voice, making the other audience look at him, then to her. "Answer me, Fujiko-chan," Eiji followed up, literally shaking Fuji by the shoulder.

"Yes, I like her, Eiji. I like Orihara-san very much," Fuji said, as if it was the most natural thing to say in a match together with his sadistic smile, the latter the team failed to notice but Rima, making the team rowdy as ever, thanks to the captain who never let his guard down and succeeded in quieting the whole team by threatening them with a hundred laps.

Even though it felt like a thousand butterflies were suddenly unleashed inside her stomach, Orihara Rima decided to put up her renowned poker façade, so when her eyes met Fuji Syuusuke's for the second time, she hardly succeeded not to taint her cheeks with red. Rather, her eyes focused on the person in front of her and using her politest voice, she let out her words. "Souho Kaori-san,are you really sure it's okay for me to serve?"

"Why? Forgot to tell me you don't know how to serve?" her opponent snickered, right hand tightening her grip, making Rima smile in the inside.

"No," she flatly answered. "But I do think I really forgot something to tell you, though,"

"Huh?"

"Do you know what right handed tennis player hates?" Orihara Rima said, her voice that was very polite a while ago now void with any feelings. Then, she shot her a fiery glare, threw the ball up and before hitting it, she maneuvered the racket to her left hand and said, "It's the lefties."


	8. The Annihilation

**Disclaimer: PoT and its characters solely belong to Konomi Takeshi.**

**The Annihilation**

"…_what did you said?"_

"…_the French."_

"…_another lefty in Seigaku."_

"_I heard she completely annihilated Souho-sempai. Six games to love."_

"_Pretty cocky, like some freshman for a regular I know."_

"…_have the skills, though."_

"…_any plans in joining the team…"_

"…_always after each other's throat,"_

"…_think she'll spare us the time to teach us?"_

"…_you really want a death sentence?"_

"…_never talks at all."_

"…_but Eiji-sempai seems okay with her, especially Fuji-sempai."_

"…_said he like her."_

"…_think he's serious?"_

"…_never really know what's going on inside Fuji-sempai's head."_

"…_what a shame."_

"Nyah, I can't believe how good Rima-chan is! She should join the team," Eiji lively exclaimed, making his way passed a couple of freshmen talking animatedly by the corridor, some girls stopping from their conversation just to get a glimpse of their idols, squealing and blushing like mad cheetahs.

"I was surprised, also that she play that good. Do you think that she played for her previous school before?" Kawamura asked, adjusting the sling of his bag to his rather slouched figure.

"Orihara Rima. Birthdate: March 1. Blood type: Rh-. Birthplace: Hokkaido Prefecture," from the back Inui read out Rima's data. "Family background not specified but her mother was a lawyer, his father a doctor."

"Then, how about tennis?" Oishi asked, striding beside Tezuka, whose attention was fixed to the corridor. "Did you found out any, Inui?"

Adjusting his spectacles as the group started for the stair leading to the third floor, the data tennis player closed his faithful notebook. "No, she never played at all, or it's safe to say that there aren't any data or records of Orihara Rima playing inter-school and other related events. To summarize it all, she is unknown."

"Nyah, is that so? Maybe I'll just ask her myself. What do you think Fujiko?" Eiji said, passing by another couple of students, this time, sophomores.

"Saa, I don't think that is a good idea, but it doesn't hurt to try," Fuji stated in as a matter of fact tone, not really paying attention to what the red haired was saying. His mind was too preoccupied by the mystery that surrounds _her_. '_Unknown,'_ he thought once again. His mind raced back in time, taking him twenty hours back to the noisy and crowded tennis court.

_His eyes involuntarily shot open, together with the crowd as a speeding ball whizzed pass across their line of vision within splits of seconds after it made contact with the gut, not even giving Souho Kaori time to see what was coming._

'_What the hell was that?'_

'_Fifteen-love,' from the opposite side of the court Fuji heard Rima, her face void of anything._

"_Tche,"Souho retorted from inside the service box, hand gripping her racket tighter. "Just because you can serve doesn't mean you can act all mighty."_

_Fuji could see that for a split second Rima's eyes flashed, though the girl quickly lowered her head and when she lifted her face again to look at her opponent; Fuji could see the fire no more._

_Then, Rima threw the ball overhead again, this time, Fuji noticed, was a little bit higher than before and unlike any other service plays he saw and encounter. _

"_That's pretty high," someone in the crowd remarked. "Pretty much like volleyball service if you ask me."_

_And that someone was right, as Fuji also notice the similarity. But then, his eyes went a little sharper than usual as he saw Rima bend her body backward, her racket almost touching the ground, right hand shooting upwards as if trying to reach the ball by her extended nimble fingers, and within a breath, her left foot slowly rose, followed shortly by the other, the racket hitting the ball square in the face that zoomed as fast as lightning cross court to Souho Kaori's left that she prepared herself for a back hand revenge, but the ball, as it hit the concrete floor, spun in a frenzied way, and to everyone's shock, it bounced back to the prima donna, the ball seemed to have grazed her right cheek._

"…"

"…"

"_Thirty love." Again came Rima's void voice._

"_The ball…bounced back…"_

"_Hey, doesn't it look like a twist serve?" Kaidoh said, his eyes now focused on the new student as well._

"_But I thought twist serves are normally hit with the right," Kawamura replied, his hands tightening their hold on the cyclone fence. "And isn't she coiling a little lower?"_

"_Normally, a twist serve is done by hitting it with the right. Because you are tossing to a different location, your body and your stroke will adjust accordingly. On all kinds of serves, you have to look at the ball directly and keep your head up. Since you are tossing above your head on a tennis twist serve, you will need to arch your back in addition to coiling your trunk. This facilitates your ability to look up and hit up onto the ball."_

"_And Orihara Rima, by watching her play, it is safe to assume that she knows a lot about the serve, that she even adjusted her body posture to do it with her left, if it really was a twist serve."_

"_No, that is not a twist serve," from Fuji's left came the twist serve user's voice. "That's the lefty twist," Echizen Ryoma added, making the stoic captain look at him for a short period of time, then back to the game in time to see a furious Souho glaring at an expressionless Rima._

'_Lefty twist,' Fuji repeated inside his head._

"_Hmmp, the game's just beginning. Hurry up with the next. I'll break that stupid service play of yours."_

_Rima stood still for a moment and sighed. "Aren't you first going to pick up your earing over there?" Rima asked, pointing a meter away at Souho Kaori's right, where a glinting object lie._

_Souho Kaori quickly touched her right ear only to find out that her earing was detached. She glanced at Rima, looking horrified._

"_I was aiming at your earing. The other pair might've fall down somewhere before we started to play, and I think you don't go by with just one, so I was trying to remove it."_

"_What?!"_

"_Shall we get thinsg over, Souho-san? I still have detentions," Rima dismissively said, again tossing the ball higher and brining the racket behind near the back of her head, she hit the ball when her racket was at its highest._

_Fuji saw that Souho Kaori anticipated another crazy serve that she was caught off guard as the ball went over the net, then __dip bounced higher than it normally would with a slice or flat serve._

"_Forty love,"_

"_This time, perfect kick serve," Kinoshita Maki whispered. "Who is she, really? She's only in her school uniform and she's against a regular, and Kaori-chan's in a tight hole. Just who is she? Is this the reason why both our coaches agreed to have this match, Tezuka?"_

_The stoic captain could only kept silent, for even in his head, the new student was somehow intriguing him, as he saw her switched her racket to her right hand, and after tossing the ball again and coiling her trunk, executed another serve that went to Souho's right, who slightly bent her knee to return it with a forehand, but failed to as the ball seemed to swirled on the ground for all eternity until it bounced right to the unexpecting Souho's face, had she not dodge in the nick of time, eyes wide with fear._

"_The twist serve!" someone from the crowd shouted._

"_Game, Orihara Rima. One game to love."_

"_Twist serve, for real? Hey, this isn't good," another one said._

"_She started with a hot serve, followed by the lefty twist and kick serve and to put a dot to it," Inui said, adjusting his spectacles as he scribbled again, "executed a full pledge twist serve. What do you think, Tezuka?"_

_Tezuka chose not to say a word, but in his head he kept thinking of the possibilities of Orihara Rima's transferring to Seigaku. He decided to confide to their coach the very moment he gets the chance._

_Beside him, the tensai kept his gaze on Rima, his sharp sapphire eyes concealed with his usual perfect smile, that he didn't expected even for one bit, that she noticed him, for as the two players were changing courts, Orihara Rima passed by the boy's tennis team, and in a whisper she was sure only the tensai would hear, she said, "You are staring too much."_


End file.
